Itombwe Mountains

Itombwe Mountains
Miki, on the plateau of Itombwe
Highest point
Elevation	3,475 m (11,401 ft)
Coordinates	3°30′0″S 28°55′0″E / 3.50000°S 28.91667°E / -3.50000; 28.91667Coordinates: 3°30′0″S 28°55′0″E / 3.50000°S 28.91667°E / -3.50000; 28.91667
Geography
Itombwe Mountains Democratic Republic of the Congo
Location	South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Itombwe Mountains (or Itombwe Massif, Plateau) are a range of mountains in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They run along the west shore of the northern part of Lake Tanganyika. They contain a vast area of contiguous montane forest and are home to a rich diversity of wildlife.

The Itombwe mountains are a section of the Albertine Rift Mountains, which border the western branch of the East African Rift. These mountains extend from the Rwenzori Mountains in the north to the Marungu highlands in the south. They are made up of uplifted Pre-Cambrian basement rocks overlaid in places by recent volcanic activity. Both of these are caused by the forces that created the Great Rift Valley, where tectonic stresses are causing parts of East Africa to separate from the continent. The highest peak of the Albertine Rift Mountains is further north in the Rwenzori Mountains, at 5,100 metres (16,700 ft).

The highest peak in the Itombwe range is Mount Mohi, at 3,475 metres (11,401 ft). Several other peaks are higher than 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). The mountains drop sharply in the east to the Ruzizi plain bordering Lake Tanganyika. They form a plateau that slopes down more gently to the west. The Elila River rises in the mountains, which are covered by forest except where rock bluffs emerge from the steepest slopes.

Temperatures range from about 50 °F (10 °C) to 70 °F (21 °C), with a mean temperature of about 60 °F (16 °C) all year round. Frost is occasionally experienced at night. Average annual precipitation is around 65 inches (1,700 mm). There is a relatively cool, dry season with little rain between June and August.

The Itombwe Forest of the southern Rift covers a huge area that has had little attention from botanists. Montane forest covers around 650,000 hectares (1,600,000 acres) above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), the largest block of such forest in the region. The forest is patchy on the east slopes. On the west there is an exceptional progression of bamboo, montane forest, grassland, and then more montane forest with a canopy reaching 25 metres (82 ft) blending into lowland forest.